


Guarding the Gates

by Corinnesamuels



Series: Guarding the Gates [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, First War with Voldemort, Gen, Multi, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Quidditch Player James Potter, jily, jily fic - Freeform, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29795049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corinnesamuels/pseuds/Corinnesamuels
Summary: When Lily Evans returns to England after four years away, she finds herself being reacquainted with old friends and old enemies. She's prepared to do what it takes to prevent Voldemort from rising to power, but she hadn't been expecting all the sacrifices one makes when they're guarding the gates.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Original Female Character(s), Mary Macdonald & Marlene McKinnon & Dorcas Meadowes & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter & Lily Evans Potter
Series: Guarding the Gates [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190144
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	1. The Old Ball and Chain

**Author's Note:**

> He grumbles. “Besides, I thought we’d be driving fast cars and visiting muggle hangouts. I didn’t think you’d be dragging me around shopping for flats all day like I’m your wife.” 
> 
> “My mistress is busy today, so I had to make do with the ball and chain.” Lily replies nonchalantly. He barks out a laugh at this. “I’ll need to side-along you to this next one.” He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.
> 
> “Oh, come on, it’s the last one, and it’s in Muggle London.”
> 
> Sirius sighs. “Oh, alright. Let’s go. But only because you said muggle London.” 

_Wizards and witches from Great Britain and beyond gather today for the funeral of Euphemia Potter, wife of Sleakeasy founder Fleamont Potter, and mother of Puddlemere United chaser, James Potter. Known for her vivacious and caring nature, Euphemia was a joy and treasure to all who knew her. As the wife of—_

Lily turns the wireless off with an exasperated sigh. Monty and James Potter were two of the best men that she had ever met. But Euphemia deserved more than to be a footnote in her own obituary. 

It was time to head to the funeral anyway. 

She looks around the room she reserved in the Leaky Cauldron. It’s been ages since she’s been here, but it’s brought back a flood of memories. The day she bought her wand. Meeting up with friends during the summer holidays to sit and laugh at Florean Fortescue’s for hours. And though she tries to ignore it, the way those friendships had shifted appeared in her mind as well. She remembered having to plan multiple trips because Marlene McKinnon, Mary McDonald, and Dorcas Meadowes had refused to spend unnecessary time with Severus Snape. At the time, she had thought he was just misunderstood, but her friends had seen him for what he was—for what he was willing to be—before she had. But what she’d lost in Sev, she eventually gained in a lanky, messy-haired boy and his mischief-making friends. The turmoil of the world outside Hogwarts Castle had caused them all to grow up more quickly than they planned, definitely more than they should have (though in James Potter’s case, it had done just the trick). Soon her trips to The Leaky Cauldron and Florean Fortescue’s with Marlene, Mary, and Dorcas included James, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They turned into spending days lazing about at James’ parents’ house and the flat Sirius bought once he’d become of age. 

And then, life happened.

She shakes herself out of her thoughts. Best to avoid reminiscing too deeply. She might not even be in England long enough this time to make it worth it.

Photographers from _The Daily Prophet, Quidditch Quarterly,_ _and_ _Witch Weekly_ are standing at the magical boundary line clamoring for a glimpse of the procession when she apparates to the area designated for actual guests. The click-and-wheezes of their cameras precede puffs of smoke in the chaos. Lily sits down at the first empty seat she sees in the back, not bothering to scout out any familiar faces. Marlene couldn’t get out of her shift at St. Mungo’s. Dorcas was out of the country visiting relatives. The stress and danger of being muggle-born had broken Mary down. She spends most of her time in the muggle world, only choosing to come around on occasion, but never when there were going to be large crowds. There were only a few other faces Lily wanted to see that, but a lot of time has passed. Leaving England after her parent’s died in a car crash was a necessary escape, but losing touch with her friends, with James and his family . . .

That had just been an unfortunate byproduct. 

Neither sense of decorum nor boundaries prevented the photographers from trying to get their shots as a group of wizards and the casket carrying Euphemia Potter made their way into the cemetery. Lily could hear them faintly from her spot near the back row.

“Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter, over here!”

“James, will you be playing in Puddlemere’s next match?”

“Fleamont, will you take your father’s seat in the Wizengamot?”

But the procession carried on as if they hadn’t heard. And soon, Lily saw the faces she remembered so well. James Potter and his best friend Sirius Black led the way with dark, hardened looks on their faces. Remus Lupin, with a curious number of fresh scars on his face, and Peter Pettigrew—ever earnest as always—followed sadly. Fleamont Potter, walking stick in hand, brought up the rear. 

The services were touching, beautiful even. Euphemia had been old, even by wizarding standards. The dragon pox had taken her quickly. Fleamont had thought he’d get it too, but somehow, it had missed him. She could see James’ posture from her seat. His back ramrod straight, his demeanor stoic in grief. Sirius sat next to him, hunched forward with his face in his hands, looking up periodically to check on James and his father dutifully. Monty and Euphemia had taken Sirius in before they finished school, but he had spent most of the summers at the Potter manor even before that. Lily knew that he was trying to balance supporting his friend with dealing with his own grief. Euphemia had been the closest thing to a mother that he’d ever had.

They were nearing the end of the funeral now. A few ministry officials shared some words, a friend of Euphemia’s from Hogwarts waxed poetically about Euphemia’s many virtues. And eventually, mercifully, it was over. Lily watches people milling around as she mentally prepares herself to pay her respects to a woman she had adored. And if she were honest with herself, she was a little nervous about how to approach everyone else too. She hadn’t left on bad terms, but she dreads the potential awkwardness. 

As she approaches the front rows of chairs, Lily sees Minerva McGonagall speaking with James and Sirius as Remus looked on supportively. She notices that Peter looks a little nervous and smiles softly to herself. He always had been terrified of their Head of House. 

Caught in between approaching the group or heading back to the Leaky Cauldron without making contact, she happens to get a glimpse of Fleamont Potter listening to a wizard who had that uptight, Ministry of Magic look about him. While Monty’s face was all polite thanks, she had once known him well enough to know that he’d rather be talking to almost anyone else. 

Considering how long it’s been, it’s the least she could do.

“I hate to interrupt,” she says, faux hesitancy and regret plastered across her face. “It’s just that I haven’t seen Mr. Potter in so long and would love to have a quick word?” She wraps it up with a convincing bout of bashfulness and brushes a lock of dark red hair behind her ear.

“Yes, of course.” the wizard replies. “Fleamont, you have the full support of the Ministry during this time. You are ever in our thoughts.” He walks away with stiff a nod to them both, and Lily sits down in the chair he vacated.

“Perfect timing as always, my girl.” Fleamont says with a shadow of the lopsided grin his son had inherited. 

“Yes, well, it looked like you could use an escape.” Lily whispers conspiratorially. He extends a hand, and she grasps it with both of hers. “It really has been a long time.” He says softly. “Euphemia would have loved to see you.”

“It has been.” She says. “I was so sorry to hear the news. I . . .” she trails off, looking down to her lap to gather herself before looking back at him with watery eyes. “I loved her. Thank you so much for having me today.”

“Nonsense.” Fleamont says. “Receiving your owl was one of my happiest moments all week. And the arrangement you sent. Marvelous. I’m just surprised you made it back into the country so quickly. Where were you, again?”

“Well, I –” But she was cut off by a surprised voice.

“Lily?”

For the first time since they’d met on the train all those years ago, it’s Sirius who sees her first. James does a double-take when he hears her name, clearly not expecting to see her sitting there today with his father. They lock eyes just before Sirius scoops her up into a bear hug.

“Lily. I’ve missed you.” Sirius says, more earnestly than she’s ever heard him speak. Lily laughs and hugs him back with as much strength as she can muster. “I’ve missed you, too.” she says, placing her hands on his shoulders to take in his face. His hair is a little longer than usual. A sign that he was indeed taking Euphemia’s death as hard as she thought he might be.

Remus approaches and hugs her more gently, but as sincerely as he always had. “So good to see you, Lily.” He says before timidly diverting his eyes as she runs the pads of her thumbs over the scratches on his face. “I can make you something for these if you’d like.” She says. He nods quickly, too uncomfortable to accept or reject the offer out loud. 

Lily notices Peter shoot a hesitant look towards James as if waiting for his approval before approaching her. They eventually exchange a quick hug before Peter awkwardly steps to the side, looking to Sirius and Remus for help on what to do next. But they were too busy watching Lily and James, who paused for a moment before embracing, tentatively at first, then gradually giving way to the comfortable type of hug they’d once shared so freely.

“It’s so good to see you, Lily.” He says. He meant it. She could see it on his face, in his eyes. He never had been able to hide things from her.

“It’s good to see you too.” Lily says. “I’m so sorry about your mum, James. I was heartbroken when I heard the news.”

James looks down and exhales heavily. “Thank you.” He says softly. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

“I wasn’t.” she replies. 

When she doesn’t elaborate, James opens his mouth to speak when another voice calls for him. “James!” The group turns as a woman approaches. “My parents wanted to find you before they left, but you were talking to McGonagall. Hi boys, Mr. Potter.” She says to the group before seeing Lily. “Oh, Lily Evans? I almost didn’t see you there.” 

Lily catches the quick glance Sirius and Remus exchange and resists the urge to roll her eyes. They never had been as discrete as they believed they were. 

“Lily, you remember Miranda, don’t you? A year ahead of us, in Ravenclaw.” James says, extending a dutiful arm to Miranda.

“Miranda Corner. It’s been a while.” Lily says politely. She had heard the two of them were dating. She’d only known Miranda in passing at Hogwarts, but she had to admit, visually, she and James made a striking couple.

“It has been.” Miranda says, intertwining her arm with James’. “I didn’t know you were still in England.”

“I wasn’t.” Lily says, repeating her earlier answer. “But when I heard the news, I sent an owl to Monty with my condolences. He invited me. I had some business to attend to that I’d been putting off, but this . . . I wasn’t missing this.” She glances toward James. He sends her a grateful look in return. 

“I was happy to have received your owl too, my girl.” Fleamont says, as he slowly begins to stand. Lily, Sirius, and James all reach out to help him, but he waves them off. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Old joints just don’t move as smoothly as they used to. But yes, it’s been far too long, Lily. Will you be joining us for tea today?”

“Oh, Monty, I couldn’t impose.” Lily says. 

“Euphemia would never forgive me if I didn’t insist.” Fleamont replied, waving off her refusal. “And she wouldn’t forgive you if you didn’t show. It’s been so long.” He flashes her a roguish grin. She could definitely see where James got it from.

“Ah, the Potter comedic guilt is still at work, I see.” Lily says with a smirk. James sighs heavily and puts his head in his hands in embarrassment as Remus and Peter attempt to stifle their laughter. Sirius laughs outright, but Miranda just smiles, curiously observing the situation. 

“Alright, alright.” Lily says, giving in. “Is this the part where Sirius and I fight about who gets to side-along with you? If it’s going to be like old times, we may as well do it right.”

Sirius barks out a laugh. “I’ll let you win this one seeing as you’re visiting, Red.” Lily narrows her eyes at him for the old nickname. He’d been the only one to get away with calling her that. He just winks in response.

“Blighter.” She says under her breath, biting back a smile. 

When they arrive at the Potters’ countryside manor, it’s like stepping out of an old memory. The cobblestone walkway and Euphemia’s rosebushes were just as she remembered them. The house even smelled the same.

“I’m going to pop into the loo, dear.” Fleamont says as he hangs up his cloak. “Do you mind getting everything sorted until I get back?”

“Not a problem. I’m sure you’re exhausted.” She says. “Why don’t you have a rest until the boys arrive? I’ll take care of things in here.” Fleamont smiles and takes her hand in his once more. 

“Thank you again for coming today, Lily.” He says. 

Lily smiles sadly. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” As Fleamont leaves the kitchen, Lily looks around and reacquaints herself with where everything is kept. Their friends had spent summers and holidays here so much after her sixth year began. She and Euphemia had often made tea together when she got tired of flying around with the boys or taking turns on Sirius’s giant motorbike. Things had been so simple then.

When the boys and Miranda walked in a few moments later, a teapot and cups were floating around the kitchen, followed by sugar, milk, a serving tray, scones, and serviettes. They drift lightly behind Lily as she walks into the sitting room, and seemingly without effort, begin to delicately arrange themselves on the table. 

“I had hoped you’d use that set.” Fleamont smiles as he reclines in his usual chair. 

“She used to tell me it was her favorite.” Lily replies. “She got me one just like it when I left England. I rarely had an opportunity to use it, but I appreciated it all the same.”

“That damned tea set.” James says with a wistful smile before drinking his tea. “Mum dragged me all across London for days until we found it.” 

“And you complained about it for days. No one was happier about locating the tea set than I was.” Says Sirius, ducking quickly as James throws a couch cushion at him.

“I didn’t realize you were so close to James’ parents, Lily.” Miranda says inquisitively. “From these stories, I’m surprised I haven’t seen you here before.”

Lily hesitates. Things had been going so well. She wasn’t quite ready to address the elephant in the room. That she had left abruptly and almost without warning. That one day, things were great, and life seemed to be moving her in the direction she’d quietly found herself dreaming of, and then the next, it was gone. That she had lost contact with most of those closest to her because she hadn’t done a passing job of staying in touch. That grief had opened the door up for shame and regret, even though she knew the latter feelings were nonsensical.

She definitely isn’t ready to admit that she’s afraid her old friends won’t want to get reacquainted anymore. 

She takes a sip of her tea and finds some safer ground to cover. “Well, I have been gone for four years now.” Lily says, draining her tea. Sirius waves his wand, and the kettle floats over to her to refill her cup. She smiles at him gratefully. “But yes, I started spending time here after our sixth year. Sometimes my friends would join as well. And then James and I were Head Boy and Girl after that, so I would pop over for Boxing Day or New Years and the like.”

“Mum and dad were always infinitely more concerned with what she wanted for pudding too.” James says wryly. “As if my requests didn’t matter when she was here.” 

“Requests? Plural? You only ever wanted treacle tart.” Lily replies. Everyone laughs.

“Who needs anything else?” He says, laughing too. “But yeah, she came over pretty often. Especially that summer after Hogwarts.”

“Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?” Remus asks, a wistful smile on his face. Lily smiles back at him, as she often had through prefects’ meetings and rounds. He had been the first of the boys to become friends with her. His gentle nature made him seem an odd fit to a younger James and Sirius, but a discerning eye could see his own penchant for mischief underneath the surface. People might have seen it more often had he not been so determined to fly under the radar. She had once told James that lycanthropy hadn’t just cursed Remus’ capacity for joy. It had robbed the world of the opportunity of experiencing joy with him as well.

“Speaking of time, how long are you in town, my dear?” Fleamont asks, pulling her out of her reverie. Lily shrugs non-committally. 

“You know me, who knows. Longer than normal, I suppose.”

“Well, you’ll have to come by and see an old man before you leave again, and I’ll take no pushback on it.” He says, standing up from his chair. “You kids feel free to stay as long as you like. I could use a kip. It’s been a long week.” He stares sadly at the chair Euphemia used to occupy before taking a breath and exiting the room. 

“I ought to be going too. I told mum I’d meet her for dinner.” Miranda says, standing up to pull her cloak back on. James stands to help and walks her to the apparition point as Lily catches up with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who was attempting to coax Sirius into a game of Wizard’s chess. As Sirius complains about being too tired to play, Lily looked at Remus over the rim of her teacup.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice the fact that you neither accepted nor rejected my offer to brew you something for those scars.” She tells him. “I’ll have it to you in two days. I know potions don’t play to your strengths.”

He shakes his head, the usual concern of being a burden etched over his face more than his scars ever had. “I can’t ask you to do that, Lily. You just got back into town.”

“You didn’t ask me, so it’s all settled, innit?” She replies in a tone he remembered well. He smiles reluctantly and shakes his head a second time. He never had liked receiving help. “I’m going to get this stuff washed and put away, so Monty and James don’t have to worry about it later. Anyone need anything?”

Sirius, who’d been lounging on the couch in that elegant, yet irreverent way of his, looks up and laughs at the familiarity of it all. She understands. It feels like they were teenagers again. Like life hadn’t aged them so quickly. “Careful Red, we might get used to having you around again.”

“I’m surprised you lot have survived so well without me, honestly.” She smirks before heading into the kitchen, tea set bobbing closely behind her. She knows she could clean it with magic and be done in a few seconds, but she feels the need to do the washing by hand. Whether it is homage to a woman she’d loved or guilt for not having written more over the last few years, she doesn’t know. It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. 

She lets the sink fill with hot water, adding just enough soap before conjuring up a soft rag. That’s how James finds her when he returns inside, sleeves pulled up and humming lightly as she washes up his mum’s favorite tea set. 

“You know you don’t have to do that.” He says after a while, leaning against the counter watching her hands glide over the kettle with care.

She smiles wistfully. “Honestly it feels a little bit like she’s here with me. We used to do this together so much whenever the girls and I would come over.”

James nods. “I remember.” He says. A weighty pause sits in the air between them before they both find themselves rushing to fill it.

“So, how have you been?”

“How are things?”

They look up at each other and break into laughter. “I guess we’re a little rusty at this.” She says.

“The great thing about good friendships is that it doesn’t take much to pick them back up.” He says kindly, almost hopefully. She smiles softly.

“I was hoping that would be the case.” She said as she waved her wand and sent the tea set back into its place in the cupboard. “So, catch me up then. How’s life for Puddlemere’s lead Chaser?” She leans back against the counter opposite him, relieved that the awkwardness between them was dissipating with ease.

James laughs and runs a hand through his hair. “You saw that?”

“I still keep up my subscription to the _Prophet_. Best way to keep up with what’s happening at home.”

“I’m almost surprised it still feels like home to you.” He says pensively. She tilts her head in confusion.

“What do you mean?” 

James shrugs. “You never said what you’d be doing. Just that you’d be gone. You’ve always seemed bigger than Britain or Scotland—” He pauses as if he isn’t sure he should say more. “When you didn’t come back after that first year, I thought maybe you had joined a roaming band of travelers in the desert or taken up surfing in Los Angeles.” The soft smile on his face tells her that he is recalling all the things she had once mentioned wanting to do before she got too old. They had been sitting in this same kitchen years ago, sharing their dreams for the future. Hers were full of travel and adventure. His full of adventure and Quidditch. It suddenly felt as if lifetimes had passed them by.

“I thought you’d taken up meditating in the anti-gravity trees with the monks in Nepal. Or maybe you’d relocated to Africa and lived on an animal reserve. Or maybe you’d just found a Yank who talked you into becoming an American—”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.” Lily laughs, swatting him in his chest. He laughed as he made a half-hearted attempt to dodge her swing. She sighs before walking over to the window facing the grounds that sprawled out behind the manor. “I’m still not able to say much.” She says quietly. “I ran away to find myself and had plenty of adventures and more close calls than I care to admit. I’ve seen a lot of things in a lot of places, James. None of them were home.”

Silence sat between them as they grappled with the things they both wanted to say. She breaks it first. “None of them were the anti-gravity trees either. And you know I wanted to see those the most.” She sighs and presses on. “I didn’t know how long I’d be gone, but I didn’t mean to lose touch completely. I’ve missed all of you. Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary, the boys, you, your parents . . .”

“We’ve missed you too. _I’ve_ missed you, Lily. You’re one of my best friends. The most likely out of everyone to tell me what I needed to hear, even when I didn’t want to hear it.”

“Especially then.” She says, attempting to cover up her smile.

James chuckles and ran a hand through his hair, a nervous tick at this point. “Look, I don’t blame you for feeling like you needed to leave. And if I didn’t understand it then, I definitely do now.” He trails off a bit before pressing on. “Losing touch is on both of us. I could’ve written more too. I just hope that this time, we don’t lose touch again.”

He extends a pinky toward her, and she can’t help but laugh. She’d taught him about pinky promises during their time as Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts. She links her pinky with his and shakes their hands slightly. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Besides,” she says. “I’m waiting to hear back about . . . an opportunity that might keep me here permanently.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. So prepare to have an extra person keeping you humble around here, just in case. And add me to your ticket list for Puddlemere, will you?” She says over her shoulder as she walked back into the sitting room. James chuckles to himself and shakes his head as he follows her out of the kitchen.

The knowledge that she had picked up some of her old friendships so easily had lifted her spirits when she finally left the Potter manor that night. But Lily knows she won’t be entirely at ease until her meeting the next day. It seems dramatic to say that the trajectory of her life depends on one conversation, but it’s true. She’ll either be preparing to set down roots in England or to catch a portkey to another distant locale. Either way, all of her belongings, including the tea set from Euphemia Potter, sat waiting for her in a magically shrunken chest the size of a brick at the Leaky Cauldron. The last four years had taught her the importance of preparedness. Being able to leave a place quickly could very easily be the difference between life or death in her line of work.

But as she apparates to Hogsmeade, Lily allows herself to indulge in happy reminiscings once more. She briefly considers grabbing crystallized pineapples for old time’s sake as she walks up the high road toward the castle but decides against it. And as she passes by the old boathouse that holds the boats Rubeus Hagrid uses to transport first-year students to the castle for the first time . . . where so many memories and emotions melded together . . . she shakes her head, focusing on the task at hand. _No time for that_. She reminds herself, pressing on to the castle gates. 

“Hello there.” She says pleasantly to one of the winged boars standing sentinel over the entrance. “Would you tell the Headmaster that I’m here? He’s expecting me.” 

The stone boar almost seems to come to life as it registers her words. Its muscles stretch, and its grey eyes seem to roam over her, vetting her as its wings expand. Its eyes lose focus and roll into the back of its head toward the castle as its body stills for a moment. “Indeed, he is.” It responds with a gravely voice. The gates open as the boar settles back into its stony state. Lily nods in thanks and takes the path to the castle.

“Ah, Miss Evans.” A familiar voice calls out to her just up the path. “I trust your travels have treated you well?” 

Lily grins at the old Headmaster. “A much shorter portkey distance this time around, Professor. Almost felt like nothing at all.” 

The two chat amiably as they walk through the main doors of the castle and up the stairs to the stone gargoyle that guards his office. Dumbledore gives the password— _Chocolate Frog_ —and it springs to life, allowing them to enter. A wave of nostalgia washes over Lily. How many times had she sat in this office as Head Girl? The portraits of a few previous headmasters and headmistresses look down and wave fondly to her. She waves back and smirks at a few that she knows are only pretending to be asleep. She strolls around the office, stroking Fawkes the phoenix’s feathers in greeting, and noting how many more trinkets the Headmaster had managed to gather.

“I see your collection has grown.” She says, leaning down to examine a few more closely. 

“I am an old man with a few indulgences.” He replies with a wink from his chair. “I believe these are one of yours?” He waves his wand, and a box of crystallized pineapple appears on his desk. 

“I almost stopped in Honeydukes for some on the way here.” Lily said as she sat down in one of the plush chairs opposite him before helping herself to some of the bounty. “Professor Slughorn is a self-serving old codger, but he has impeccable taste in sweets.”

“I am to understand that you told him this quite often.” Dumbledore replies. Lily shrugs non-committally with a wry smile, but she doesn’t deny it. Being one of old Sluggy’s favorites meant she could get away with a little more than most. 

“So.” Dumbledore says after picking up a piece of pineapple for himself. “You’ve considered my offer?”

“I have.” She replies. 

“And?”

“I have some additional considerations.”

Dumbledore chuckles softly. “I thought you might.”

When she leaves the castle an hour later, after working through a few extra details with Dumbledore and saying hello to Professors Flitwick and McGonagall (very strange that they want her to call them Filius and Minerva now . . . she doesn’t think she will), a tawny owl meets her at the gates. “Oh, hello. Are you looking for me?” Luckily Dumbledore had let her take the rest of the pineapple. “This is all I have on me, love.” She says, presenting a piece to the owl. It hoots curiously and pokes around at the sweet before shaking its head and extending a leg. 

“Suit yourself.” She shrugs as she unfurls the parchment wrapped in its claws. 

_Do write me in on your schedule, love. We’re overdue for some Red and Black shenanigans._

Lily laughs and rolls her eyes. Typical Sirius Black. The blighter didn’t even sign it. 

Lily apparates to the door of Sirius’ flat with a _pop!_ _At least, she thinks it’s still his flat._ He hadn’t included an address, so it seemed like a safe bet, but assuming with Sirius could be a dangerous game sometimes. She hears loud music and heavy footsteps before the door opens. There’s a look of confusion on his face, but he smiles when he registers that it’s her on his doorstep. 

“I see you received my owl. Come in, come in.” He says, stepping aside. She throws herself on the old couch in his sitting room, hands folded behind her head and feet crossed at the ankle, just like she used to years before.

“You aren’t dressed for shenanigans.” She says looking at his t-shirt and pajama pants. 

“Oh? We’re doing this now?” He asks as he notices the box of pineapple. “Honeydukes run? Without me?” He says before popping a piece into his mouth.” She doesn’t correct him. Those details would lead to other questions, and now isn’t the time.

“You told me to pencil you in. There’s no time like the present.”

“Touché, Red.” He says with a nod. “Right. I’ll go change. Help yourself to whatever.” He gestures toward the kitchen with a wave of his hand as he walks into the bedroom. Lily looks around the flat and gets up to examine the photographs lining the walls. They are a mix of old and new pictures of their friends. Some familiar images from Hogwarts, holidays at James’ parents’ house, and even the one James had taken of her and Sirius lying across the hood of her father’s old red convertible like Bond girls. 

She missed that car. She must have said so out loud because from his bedroom, Sirius calls back, “your dad’s convertible?” 

“The very same.” She says. “I loved convincing Dad to give me the keys so that I could meet up with the wild boys and go joyriding. And then you got that ridiculous motorbike—”

“Please don’t disrespect Roxanne. She’s sensitive.”

She laughs. “Those were the days.” She says nostalgically.

“Simpler times, for sure . . . even if we did have to pretend to not notice the sexual tension.” He says as he walks into the sitting room to put on his boots.

“I will not dignify that with a response.”

“Because you know it’s true. I don’t know why you two never got on with it.”

She pretends not to hear him and looks at some of the newer photographs. One shows the Marauders after a Puddlemere match, celebrating a win with James. The four young men laugh and horseplay around, ruffling James’ hair as he tries to shrug them off. Another has a larger group of people in them. She recognizes Emmeline Vance from Ravenclaw and Caradoc Dearborn from a few years above them, and there, laughing next to James, was Miranda. Smiling happily with the rest of the group.

“Miranda seems nice.” She says as she casually makes her way back to the couch.

Sirius’ eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. “Honestly, Red, I expected you to put up more of a fight on that sexual tension comment. Or the one about not knowing why you never got on with it. I didn’t expect you to prove me right.”

“I did no such thing!” she says indignantly. “I’m simply making an observance about the fact that my friend’s girlfriend seems nice.”

“Oh, I see. The two of you don’t know why you never became a couple either.” 

“I can’t comment on Miranda without there being an underlying motive?”

Sirius begins to respond, and the look in his eyes tells Lily to prepare for another joke at her expense. But he seems to think better of it. When he does speak, it’s in softer tones than she usually hears from him. “The fact that the two of you never figured it out is still something that surprises me. _But_ ,” He sticks out a hand to prevent her from interjecting. It works. “But, what I really want to say, is that he was sad when you left.”

Lily sighs. And stares aimlessly off into a corner of the room. “I was too. It was a long time ago, though. Things have changed. We’ve all changed.”

Sirius chooses not to respond to that and instead reaches over to place a hand on her shoulder. “I hope you’re staying a while, because I was sad too.”

“It’s permanent. Let’s find me a flat.”

* * *

Sirius’ excitement about spending time with Lily and discovering that she was returning to England permanently began waning three flats ago.

“You’re the one who asked to spend time with me, remember? ‘ _Oh doooo_ pencil me into your calendar _. Pip pip, cheerio!’”_ She isn’t able to contain her laughter when he scoffs. She always did love making fun of him for growing up posh.“Oh, don’t be like that, Sirius. Come here.” 

He tries to dodge her hug but gives in. “I never said that last part, and you _know_ it.” He grumbles. “Besides, I thought we’d be driving fast cars and visiting muggle hangouts. I didn’t think you’d be dragging me around shopping for flats all day like I’m your wife.” 

“My mistress is busy today, so I had to make do with the ball and chain.” Lily replies nonchalantly. He barks out a laugh at this. “I’ll need to side-along you to this next one.” He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

“Oh, come on, it’s the last one, and it’s in Muggle London.”

Sirius sighs. “Oh, alright. Let’s go. But only because you said muggle London.” 

* * *

Lily knows this flat is the one as soon as she walks in. She imagines her cauldrons taking up residence on the kitchen counters, her potions stores stacked neatly in the shelving area, friends calling from the fireplace using the Floo, and herself, drinking tea from Euphemia’s tea set as she sits on the window seat of the large window in the sitting room. 

She signs the necessary paperwork as Sirius inspects the light switches, outlets, and windows. “It’ll do.” He says simply. Glowing praise from him, though the landlord seems offended. Lily rolls her eyes.

“Please ignore my friend. It’s lovely.” She says as she takes the keys. The landlord throws Sirius a dirty look but doesn’t complain. Lily paid six months’ rent up front, and he wasn’t going to miss out on the money. Lily looks around the flat with a smile. She hadn’t known when she’d make it back to England to stay or if she ever would. But this felt good. That restless feeling she had abroad hadn’t seemed to follow her back home. It really was time to come back.

“Alright, Black, time for lunch.” She says after the landlord leaves. She found him sitting on the window seat, observing the view.

“Finally. I was wasting away over here. What do you have in mind?”

“Wherever your money is good. Preferably someplace where you haven’t had relations with half the wait staff.”

“That was one time, I—” Lily throws him an incredulous look. Sirius rolls his eyes and backtracks. “Okay, it only got bad one time. And how did I end up footing the bill?”

“I trust the coffers of the Noble House of Black are still full?”

Sirius sighs heavily and looks as if he is stifling a laugh and hates himself for it. Lily smirks knowingly. “You know you’re the only one that can get away with that, don’t you?”

“Why else do you think I do it?” 

They make their way to one of the lesser-known wizarding pubs in London and are quickly met by a waitress with blonde feathered hair. “Well, I’ve never seen you here before.” The waitress says to Sirius, voice unnecessarily sultry. Sirius spends a few minutes flirting with her as Lily shakes her head and lets out a laugh through her nose. 

“I think we’d like to start off with drinks, please, if you don’t mind.” Lily eventually cuts in. 

“Of course.” The waitress replies. She takes Sirius’ order and writes down Lily’s request almost as an afterthought. Lily raises her eyebrows as the woman walks away. Sirius smirks and shrugs as if to say, _what can you do?_

“Honestly, Sirius, if I hadn’t stepped in, we might never have gotten to order. I thought you said you were starving?”

“I can be hungry for more than one thing, love, surely you’ve experienced it?” 

Lily laughs, throwing a serviette at him as chips and their drinks magically appear at the table. “You wanker.”

“Yes, that’s the issue.” He says almost lazily before something he sees behind her ruffles his measured calm. His expression shifts in a flash and is back to normal just as fast. Someone who didn’t know him well might not have recognized it. She raises a suspicious eyebrow as another waitress strolls over to their table before shooting daggers at Lily. 

“Belinda! I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Oh, God.” Lily groans.

Suffice it to say, things got very tense very quickly. They end up putting a couple of galleons on the table, telling them to keep the change, and walking out with only a few chips eaten between them. 

“I had one request, Sirius.”

“How was I supposed to know??”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Harry Potter or its properties. I'm also not a TERF. The title for this fic comes from the Lauryn Hill song "Guarding the Gates" from the "Queen and Slim" soundtrack. I don't own those either.
> 
> But in happier news--WHEW! I am excited and anxious about this. Have you really returned to fanfiction after a decade if you haven't tried a multi-chapter fic? The answer is yes, friends, but I can't go to brunch or to the bar because of the pandemic so here we are. I'll always be eternally grateful for comments and interactions here, but feel free to connect with me on tumblr at corinnesamuels as well.


	2. A Day at The Bulrush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fancy seeing you here." Sirius says with a wolfish grin as Lily hurdles a tipped-over chair and presses her back to his. The Death Eater he's dueling sends a jet of red light towards him, but Sirius deflects it and returns the favor. "You here to join in on the fun?" Sirius sounds as if he's playing an arduous round of gobstones instead of potentially fighting for his life.
> 
> "I'm here to keep us alive, you dolt." She responds through gritted teeth as she turns the snakes her opponent shoots her way into streams of fire that lasso around the Death Eater, burning through his robes as he screams.

The novelty of the band being back together almost made it easy to ignore the way everything around them was changing. People missing. Ministry officials acting strangely. Members of the Wizengamot voting in ways that didn't align with their voting record. Lily made mental notes of what she heard but found distraction in the Marauders. They often gathered at Potter Manor or one of their flats, with Miranda joining them at the manor on occasion. Miranda seemed like a nice girl, and she and Lily had slowly begun to get to know each other.

. . . _ish._

"Slowly." Remus had said one day at Sirius' flat while James was at practice. "That's certainly one way to put it."

"If they go any slower, they'll be moving backward." Sirius replied dryly, flipping through a magazine of muggle women on motorbikes. 

Lily had rolled her eyes at the sarcasm. "Look, one of my best friends has a girlfriend that I don't know well. She's going to be around; I'm going to be around." She grabbed another one of Sirius' firewhiskies and ignored his protests and complaints about her drinking him out of house and home. "We're all adults, and this is best for everyone involved. If he's happy, I'm happy."

After about two weeks of this, Lily had to admit to herself that she actually wasn't happy at all.

When the dark mark was found over the house of a muggle-born Hogwarts student and his family, Miranda, somehow, didn't seem to notice the trend. 

"What happened to them was tragic, but a pureblood family was killed last week." Miranda had said. "I think we might be jumping to conclusions here."

"A pureblood family known for advocating for _muggle borns_ was killed last week." Lily clarified as she worked to keep her tone as cordial as possible. "This isn't jumping to conclusions; this is calling a spade a spade." Miranda just shrugged and changed the subject, leaving a seething Lily with the difficult decision to keep the peace or upset the balance she had just regained with her friends. She chose peace. Temporarily.

It's been a few days since that incident, but Lily is still frustrated by the comment. So much so that she's cursing under her breath when she discovers that Sirius will be arriving late to Puddlemere's match against Appleby. Not being even a little bit interested in sitting by Miranda, she makes sure to position herself in between Remus and Peter as they get seated. When Lily sees Miranda sitting a few rows away, she exhales in relief. Miranda seems to be sitting with her sister. There's a strong resemblance there. _What was her name again? Candace? Constance? Chloe. That's it._ Lily breathes a little easier. She can handle Miranda being in the general section but sitting close to her might have sent Lily over the edge.

"What did I miss?" Sirius asked once he arrived. He sits down on the other side of Remus and flips through the program idly. 

"Just Lily trying to avoid having to sit next to Miranda, mostly." Remus replies lightly. She swats him in his chest but doesn't deny it. 

"Oh, look, James has the quaffle already!" She says as a distraction.

With his eyes still firmly on the game, Peter leans over to her. "It works a little better if you use the distraction before they finish the statement." 

Lily is caught off guard and gives Peter a strange look before breaking into laughter. As nervous as Peter tends to be when he's uncomfortable, he can be incredibly funny. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Peter." She laughs again when he tips an imaginary hat to her.

The match doesn't last long. James scores five of Puddlemere's eight goals before their seeker catches the snitch, sending Appleby away in quick fashion. Lily and the three other Marauders yell themselves near-hoarse, and she finds herself wondering how he possibly could have gotten even better at flying over the last few years. James made it look effortless, almost as if he could fly even without his broom. Years ago, when they were doing patrols as Head Boy and Girl, he'd talked about his dream of playing professionally and how he was happiest in the air. It suited him then, and as she watches the skill, precision, and awareness he displays during the match, she can't help but smile. It suits him even more now.

"I told James before the match that we'd meet him down at the pub if they won." Sirius says a little after the referee called the match. "We'd better go now before it gets too packed."

"Yes, let's." says Peter. "Last time we waited to see him first, and it took an hour to get our drinks." The group quickly gathers their things and begins to leave their section with the crowd.

"Does Miranda know where we're going?" Lily asks. Sirius looks back at her with a smirk while Peter laughs lightly behind her. Only Remus has the decency to attempt to keep a straight face. Lily rolls her eyes with a huff. "I'm trying to be nice here."

"She'll likely wait for James by the locker room and then head over with her sister if she decides to go to the pub. She doesn't always come, though."

"It might be your lucky day, Lils." Sirius grins. It quickly disappears when she sends a stinging hex his way.

The Bulrush is already starting to fill with patrons when they arrive. Navy blue and gold Puddlemere flags drape the walls alongside memorabilia of the team throughout its history. Photographs of players line the walls, and they wave at patrons before mounting their brooms and flying off into the skies.

"They're always in a better mood when Puddlemere wins." Peter tells her when he notices her looking at the images. "They get into a right strop when they don't. Almost as moody as Sirius." Lily tries to stifle her giggles. The boys loved Peter, but he always seemed like the underdog in their group. She was glad he was able to joke and laugh with them.

Sirius is at the bar ordering a round when the team enters the pub to a sea of raucous cheers and applause. James waves and high-fives people on his way to where Lily and the other Marauders are sitting. People stop him and his teammates and ask them to sign their jerseys and posters. The more inebriated patrons ask the players to sign their foreheads, which they do with a laugh. The more forward patrons ask them to sign breasts, which James politely declines to do with a look behind him. Lily realizes that Miranda and her sister are following close behind, with a redhead witch Lily finds familiar but can't quite place. 

Whoever she is, Remus definitely remembers. Lily feels his body tense in the booth. She looks over at him. His face is calm and collected, but his eyes scan the bar frantically as if looking for an escape. 

"Remus, are you okay?" Lily asks.

"I either need you to switch places with me, or I need to go to the loo." He responds quickly. 

"What?" 

Before she can ask what's going on. James approaches the table with Miranda, Chloe, and the redhead. "Here we are!"

"Here we are, indeed!" Sirius says as he returns to the table with drinks. He distributes them with his wand before embracing James and patting him on the back roughly. "Prongs, you were amazing out there today. Had the seeker not been so quick, you might have beaten your scoring record."

James laughs and clasps Sirius on the back a few times. "Probably. I was just glad to be back on a broom." Lily sees his smile drop slightly before regaining his composure and looking to the rest of the table. Lily realizes it's his first match since Euphemia's funeral. He had taken a little bit of time off, but not much. She wondered how he had managed to play at all—let alone play well—this soon after his mother's funeral. But deep down, she knew. Flying was therapeutic for him. How many times had she seen him go for a fly to let off steam in school?

"Wicked match, James!" Peter almost yells in his excitement. He launches into a play-by-play of some of his favorite moments when he notices Miranda, her sister, and their companion. "Patricia?"

Lily's head snaps to the woman, and suddenly she remembers. Patricia Rakepick had been a few years ahead of them at Hogwarts and built a reputation for being sneaky. No one was ever quite sure what she got up to, but they knew it was nothing good. She wasn't well-liked, even in her own house. It's probably why Lily didn't recognize her at first. But she does recognize the apologetic grimace James gives Remus. Is this why Remus is so uncomfortable?

"Oh, shit." Sirius says, eyes drifting quickly toward Remus and back. "Wasn't expecting to see you here, Rakepick."

"Miranda and Chloe told me they were coming into town for the match, and I thought I'd meet them here." She says, letting her eyes travel across the table to Remus and lingering there. 

She's definitely the reason Remus is uncomfortable. "I'm going to grab us a few extra drinks!" Lily says. "Remus, could you come with me? You're taller, and it'll be easier to catch the bartender's attention."

"Of course!" Remus says, almost too loudly. "I can think of nothing I'd rather do!" He hurries out of the booth so quickly that Lily almost trips trying to get out and follow him. They go to the far corner of the bar, and Remus begins trying to get the barman's attention. 

"I just said that because it seemed like you needed an out, but feel free to get yourself a drink if you'd like." Lily says. "You look like you might need it."

"You have no idea." Remus says as he runs a hand through his hair.

"That's my move." Lily and Remus turn and see James standing behind them with an uncomfortable smile. "Remus, I wasn't expecting her to be with them. She walked up as we were walking into the pub, so I didn't have time to send a warning."

"Well, luckily, Lily came to my rescue." Remus says, looking at her gratefully. He looked exhausted by the stress of whatever memories Patricia Rakepick had dug up.

"Anytime, but what exactly did I rescue you from?" Lily asks. "Rakepick was pretty loathsome in school, but I feel like I'm missing something." 

"Let's just say, I had Miranda agree to help keep her away from the table for the rest of the night." James cuts in as he glances back toward their table to make sure It actually happens. Lily begins to ask more questions, but the _Thank Merlin_ she hears Remus whisper under his breath before finally getting the barman's attention tells her that Remus definitely doesn't want to talk about it. Whatever _it_ is.

"Well, glad that's fixed." She says. "Looks like she's leaving, at any rate." James and Remus turn and see Rakepick walking out the doors. Remus sighs in relief until Rakepick turns around sharply and throws a wink at him from across the pub. Lily, James, and Remus all grimace. 

"In better news," Lily says, shifting the conversation to more pleasant tides. "you were excellent today, James. Really, really amazing." She grins. She had been waiting to say that to him ever since the game ended.

James almost looks a little bashful in the wake of her praise. "We played great today." He says. "Everyone moved so cohesively, we made great adjustments, and Davies wasted no time getting after the snitch." The happiness radiated off of him in waves.

"Well, yes, all of that's true, but it's not like you to sell yourself short. You made over half of the goals today, James." She says, searching his face. Something isn't right about this.

He looks to the floor nervously and runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah. It's just that it's my first match since Mum died, and I'm glad we got the win. I took a little time off, so I was nervous about being out of sync." 

Ah . . . there it is.

"You weren't." Lily says with a caring smile. "You looked smashing out there. Euphemia would have been so proud of you." James reaches out an arm, and Lily steps in to hug him tightly.

"Thank you." He says. He sounds as if he'd been holding his breath. "I really appreciate you coming today, too, Lily."

"Miss a free Puddlemere match? Fat chance!" she jokes, coaxing a laugh out of him. Remus turns around with his drink and swallows half of it in one gulp. 

"What did I miss?"

James and Lily laugh and open their arms to pull Remus into a group hug. Remus is confused but shrugs and settles into the hug. "I'm still not sure what I missed, but it is good to be wanted."

Off in the opposite corner of the bar, one of the Puddlemere beaters jumps up on top of a table and yells, "Beat back those bludgers, boys!"

"And chuck the quaffle here!" the rest of the patrons respond in unison. Suddenly the pub is singing a rousing rendition of the song. In a flash, James is standing on the bar top, conducting with his wand. Remus' drink has settled in, and he looks carefree, laughing as patrons slosh pints in their revelry. Sirius and Peter are singing loudly with one of the other Puddlemere chasers as if they are the featured singers at the opera. Everyone cheers as the song comes to an end, and someone begins a slow clap.

Except, it doesn't sound quite right. It's almost . . . menacing.

Lily, James, and Remus look around for the source of the sound and hear gasps by the door. There, at the entrance, are six masked wizards in robes and masks. 

" _Death Eaters!_ " Someone says in a frightened whisper. Lily, James, and Remus glance at each other quickly. Lily and Remus discretely pull out their wands, but James, standing in plain sight on top of the bar, does nothing to draw attention. 

Lily is nervous.

"I see congratulations are in order." Says one of the masked figures as the crowd makes way in fear. Lily notes that it was a man's voice. "We'd join, but the stench of mudbloods can be smelled three villages over. We followed it here and decided to take care of it." 

The Bulrush descends into madness as people attempt to run past the Death Eaters, disapparate, and dodge spells. Lily throws a shield charm to protect a witch who had been trying to back away, and suddenly she is dueling fiercely. "Run!" she yells to the woman as she dodges spells and sends back hexes of her own. In the corner of her eye, she can see Remus and James dueling as well. 

She knocks her Death Eater unconscious and places them in a full-body bind before looking across the bar. Sirius is fighting two at once, and Peter and Miranda are attempting to fight one together. Chloe is sitting under a table in the fetal position, rocking back and forth as she tries to dodge flying debris. Lily runs toward them and tosses shield charm toward Sirius as one of the Death Eaters he is dueling sends a hex to his back. 

"Fancy seeing you here." Sirius says with a wolfish grin as Lily hurdles a tipped-over chair and presses her back to his. The Death Eater he's dueling sends a jet of red light towards him, but Sirius deflects it and returns the favor. "You here to join in on the fun?" Sirius sounds as if he's playing an arduous round of gobstones instead of potentially fighting for his life.

"I'm here to keep us alive, you dolt." She responds through gritted teeth as she turns the snakes her opponent shoots her way into streams of fire that lasso around the Death Eater, burning through his robes as he screams. She places him in a full-body bind before dousing out the flames.

"Where's James?" Sirius asks.

"Right here." James calls as he uses his wand to send a table to shield the barman from a hex. "Where is Miranda? And Peter?"

"Still fighting over by where we sat." Lily responds as she tag teams Sirius' Death Eater. "Go help them. I'll fight with Sirius."

James hesitates for a moment but then rushes off to where Miranda, Chloe, and Peter are attempting to fend off attacks from a Death Eater who seems to be enjoying seeing the three struggle. Almost as if they are just postponing the inevitable. A woman's laughter comes from behind the mask, and it sounds almost unhinged.

Suddenly, the doors of the pub blast open, and a new group of witches and wizards join the fray. Lily recognizes the insignia of the Auror Office on their robes. The Death Eaters must have, too, because the ones still standing began to disapparate. 

It took a few moments for Lily to realize the fighting had stopped. As the dust settled inside The Bulrush, the Aurors and Hit Wizards were arresting the Death Eaters that had been taken down before they arrived and taking inventory of the injured patrons. She let go of a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and sits down heavily at the nearest booth to get her bearings. She hasn't had to duel like that in months, maybe even a year. Lily touches her cheek and winces. She could feel a large gash that would need to be healed soon, but she needed a mirror to make sure it's done well. She was just too tired to get up just yet. 

Her ribs ached as well. A glance around the pub tells her that this is par for the course. Sirius has a cut lip, Remus has a black eye, and Peter's arm is sitting at a strange angle, causing him to whimper in pain. 

She looks for James and sees him comforting Miranda, who is crying hysterically and holding on to him for dear life. Chloe sits on the floor near them in a daze, so still that Lily almost questions whether or not she's alive. She watches closely for the telltale rise and fall of her chest and is satisfied with the movement, however small . . .

Lily leans over, rests her elbows on her knees, and puts her face in her hands, attempting to regulate her breathing and heart rate. But she isn't given long. 

"For someone who isn't an Auror, it seems you did some impeccable Auror work today." A voice said in front of her. Lily looked up to see a brown-haired man standing tall and looking authoritative in his Auror robes.

"Frank!" She makes it to her feet to greet her old friend properly. "It's been a while!"

"About a year, by my count." He says. "How is it that you get back into town for a few weeks and end up in a bar fight?"

"Well, a redhead, a quidditch team, and masked murderers walk into a bar—oh, you haven't heard that one?" she asks as she crosses her arms and leans back against the booth. Frank laughs.

"Alice will be happy to see you. She's just over there talking to the barman." Frank gestures toward the bar where Lily sees a woman with a kind, round face and feathered hair taking meticulous notes. She nods to him and gives him a card before walking over to Lily and Frank.

"Lily!" She says excitedly as they embrace. "So good to see you. Though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Well, it was going to happen sooner or later." Lily notes.

"Seems like it's only a matter of time." Says Frank, who is still scanning the bar for trouble periodically.

"Yes, but I thought we'd have more." Lily says as she subconsciously echoes his movements. She had been caught unawares once already that day. She isn't keen on it happening again so soon. 

"One of our own was under a hood tonight. Time has run out." Alice says. Lily's head snaps to look at Alice. 

"One of them was an _Auror_?" Lily asks in disbelief. Alice nods grimly. Before Lily could ask more questions, James appears at their side.

"Frank, Alice. Thanks again for your help." He says as he shakes Frank's hand and gives Alice a hug. "I haven't seen the two of you in ages. Auror department keeping you busy?"

"Almost always in times like these." Alice replies, gesturing around to the chaos around them. 

You're a regular renaissance wizard, James." Frank smirks. "Quidditch star, quality duelist. What else can you do?"

"You forgot purveyor of mischief." James shoots back with a grin. They all laugh. None of them could forget how much trouble James and his friends had kept up at Hogwarts.

"Yes, I had to take more points than I preferred from my own House because of you and your mischief." Frank responds dryly. 

"Yeah, well, imagine my surprise when I found out that the Head Boy would actually do such a thing."

"Imagine our surprise when we heard you had been named Head Boy, yourself." Alice quips.

James runs a hand through his hair and chuckles. "No one was more surprised than me." 

"I beg to differ." Lily says, and they all laugh again. 

"As do I." Sirius says as he, Remus, and Peter—whose arm had been fixed to sit at its correct angle again—approach the group. They greet Frank and Alice pleasantly, and it's a nice distraction from the reality of what's just happened to them. The evidence of the fighting is gone as the Aurors and the barman magically re-arrange things to their normal states, but the memories of it won't be undone so easily. Lily glances to where Miranda and her sister sit, holding each other tightly.

"Are they okay?" she asks James as the others continue catching up. He follows her gaze and sighs sadly.

"They're fine, physically. They aren't much for dueling, though. Peter really isn't either, but I'm glad he was there to help hold them off until I could get to them." 

"You'll need to give her lessons so she can at least defend herself." Lily says. "If they were bold enough to come here in broad daylight, they're bold enough to go nearly anywhere."

He looks at her again, taking note of the gash on her cheek and the cuts on her arms. He pulls out his wand and whispers incantations under his breath, healing what he could see. 

"I agree. I'll see if she's open to it. Are you okay besides those?" He looks into her eyes, and she knows he isn't just asking if she's physically okay. He wants to know if mentally—emotionally—she's holding up.

"I'll be fine." She says. "Not my first brush with danger. And thanks for healing those. Hard to do without a mirror, otherwise I'd have taken care of them myself."

"I'm sure." He says, staring at her a moment longer. "I'm going to make sure Miranda and Chloe get home. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Promise." She places a hand on his shoulder and stares back at him, hoping to convince him. "We should all probably get going." She says to the group. Alice and Frank agree.

"Yes, everyone get home or to St. Mungo's, if necessary. We have reports to do, so we'll be off. Congrats on the win, James." says Alice as she and Frank turn to leave. "Hopefully the next time we see you lot, it'll be under better circumstances, yeah?" She fixes Lily with a pointed stare, and Lily gives a stiff nod in return. The others look at Lily curiously after the Aurors leave, but she waves them off. 

"So, is everyone good to go home, or do we need to go ahead and go to St. Mungo's?

* * *

After the events of the Bulrush, Lily decides to extend more grace to Miranda. Having to duel fully trained sociopaths is difficult even when you are an accomplished duelist. Doing so with only the few charms and hexes you learned passively in classes is a whole different beast. And as terrible as the evening had been, there was no way Miranda would be able to deny what was happening anymore. Now she could really go about getting to know her and maybe find some common ground outside of James.

And though Lily refused to give the idea much attention, there may have been other reasons for why she wasn’t fond of Miranda.

Yes, she would get to know Miranda and find her as lovely as everyone else had.

That also lasted for about two weeks. 

Instead of The Bulrush being a wake-up call for Miranda, it seemed to have made things worse. The Death Eaters at The Bulrush were just a few bad eggs, Miranda had reasoned. The majority of Britain didn't agree with them, and they were just looking for attention. "The best course of action is simply to ignore them and let the Aurors and the Ministry do their job." She said one day at tea. "This isn't a widespread problem."

Lily tried to keep her frustration under wraps, but she was hanging on by a thread. But it's Sirius that responds that day. 

"The Aurors and the Ministry? Have you forgotten that there was an Auror behind that hood? Or that there are higher-ups at the Ministry who won't denounce them? They've been infiltrated!" He growled.

"Sirius." James said, a warning in his tone.

"James." Sirius responded in kind. James sighed.

"Miranda, this isn't as simple as ignoring the issue." James eventually turns to her. "This pureblood ideology has been an issue for years and is just coming to a head. They came to The Bulrush because Proudfoot is muggle born, and they see the whole team as blood traitors for playing with him. It's why the Potters aren't on that bollocks 'Sacred 28' list. They look at us as a long line of blood traitors."

"Lucky you." Sirius had sneered.

That hadn't been the only conversation. Miranda doubled down on her thoughts each time she came around, suggesting that the list of missing persons in the _Daily Prophet_ was propaganda to stir up trouble. She phrased it as if she was remaining open-minded and mulling over all the possible explanations. But Lily didn't buy it. She suspected that Sirius and Remus didn't either because they try to explain to Miranda that what is happening in the wizarding world isn't as simple or tame as a lone vigilante with a small following with more and more frustration. When they press James to weigh in one day Miranda hadn't joined him, he tells them that he knows her heart and that she'll come around. 

"She's just trying to make sense of what happened after the match, that's all." He had said. "Give her time."

Lily tries to let it go but can't, and finds herself venting to Sirius about it at his flat a few days later. "It's ridiculous!" she says, taking her frustrations out on a decorative pillow as Sirius sits in the chair across from her doing the latest crossword. "What a privilege it is to not have to wonder if you're being hunted. How can Miranda not see what's happening?" She's worked herself up to a full rant by the time Remus stops by a little later. After nodding and agreeing for ten minutes and helping Sirius find an eight-letter word for something that will make you laugh until you want to cry— _alihotsy—_ Remus gently steps in when Lily stops to take a breath.

"I'm assuming we aren't having lunch at the manor then. James said they were spending the day there." He says.

Lily pauses and tosses Sirius' pillow to the couch forcefully with a frustrated sigh.

"Are you quite done?" Sirius asked indignantly.

"Looks like Sirius is taking us to lunch." Lily says, ignoring him.

"Now wait a tic—"

"And will be doing so in Muggle London." She speaks over his continued dissent with a raised finger. "As to avoid jilted lovers."

Remus is doubtful. 

Remus is proved to be right when the three of them rush out of a restaurant soon after. 

"Tell me, Are all the restaurants in Britain off limits?" Lily asks incredulously.

". . . Honestly, I don't have any more excuses you haven't heard. Calliope was one I'd forgotten about."

"We met her at this restaurant, Padfoot." Remus says as he runs a hand across the stress lines on his forehead.

"We meet a lot of people at restaurants. I can hardly keep up." Sirius says, waving them off as they walk down the sidewalk in search of a different place to eat. "Lily might have become a spy, but I'm still an international man of mystery."

"Sirius."

"Oh, I forgot we can't talk about that." 

"So, we did confirm that the secret job was espionage after all?" Remus asks in a low, casual voice, glancing around them to make sure no one was listening.

"It's best for everyone that we ignore my old line of work and focus on the fact that I'm home. Aren't you lot glad to have me back? Isn't that enough?" Lily asks, her arms extended in supplication.

"It will be when Peter forks over my coins." Remus replies happily.

"How much did you wager?" Sirius asks.

"A galleon. You?"

"Two, but it was based on her giving the job up to marry James. Miranda still being in the picture was a turn of events I didn't expect." Sirius says with an eye roll. 

"Serves you right for such a chauvinistic idea!" Lily says, slapping him in the arm. They stumble across a newly opened restaurant a few blocks down, The Wit's End.

"Fitting." Lily and Remus say in tandem, side-eyeing Sirius before sharing wry smiles with each other. Sirius rolls his eyes. "We should take advantage of the fact that this restaurant is safe for however long that lasts." Lily says as she walks in. Remus follows, and Sirius gives a bored sigh before joining them.

"It really is a shame about Miranda." Sirius says once they begin eating. "She's a delightful woman and easy on the eyes, but she is slow to the punch."

"Delightful." Lily scoffs. "If I have to sit through another conversation about how we just need to ignore the Death Eaters and they'll go away, I'll scream. She thinks an organized group of murderers are just petulant children looking for attention."

"Remus, your thoughts?" Sirius asks as he uses a pair of chopsticks to fish out a noodle from his bowl.

Remus thinks it over for a moment and shrugs. "If she's not ready to acknowledge Voldemort, she's not ready to find out why my aunts keep dying once a month."

Lily almost chokes on her food.

"She doesn't know?" She asks once she recovers. Sirius laughs lightly into his bowl and shakes his head. "They've been together, what? Two years? At this point, he's surely considering marriage—she's not aware??" Lily feels a queasy sort of feeling in her stomach but stamps it down.

"I don't know if I'm happy or confused about the fact that she hasn't figured it out." Says Remus. "But I'd live a happy life if no one else ever does." She hears the undertones of shame and regret in his voice and remembers the day she told him her hunch about why he was always so sick or needing to miss classes. There really were only so many grandmothers a person can have. 

She had noticed that they were scheduled for rounds on a full moon their first year as prefects and convinced Frank and Alice to switch them both to the next week, coming up with some excuse about Slughorn requesting her assistance with potions research that evening. When she told Remus, he panicked, afraid that she would tell or be frightened and shun him.

_"Why on earth would I do that?" She had asked him. Trying to look him in the eyes as he looked everywhere but at her. "You've never given me any reason to do anything **but** be a friend to you."_

_"That's because you haven't seen what I really am." Remus' voice cracked._

_"No." She said. "No, I've seen exactly what you are. The real you is standing here in front of me. That other version is the imposter. And for as long as I need to, I'll make it my mission to remind you of that." She gripped his hand forcefully as his head snaps up, eyes watering slightly. She smiled and allowed him to regain his composure. He took a step back and a deep breath before wiping his eyes quickly. "I looked up potential remedies to at least make it easier—"_

_"There's nothing." He cut in._

_"Yet. There's nothing **yet**. Don't give up hope. I'm sure those friends of yours say the same." _

_Remus hesitates, and she laughs. "Oh, come on. You don't expect me to believe they don't know, do you? I won't say anything to anyone, Remus. That's not why I'm doing this. I just want you to understand that you don't have to carry this all on your own. I'm sure the boys have already figured out a way to help you lighten the load, though I don't know how." She furrowed her brow in thought and furrowed it more when she saw his eyes grow wide._

_"I'm sure I don't quite want to know whatever they've got up their sleeves." She said eventually. "As long as you know that you have true friends in them and in me."_

In the present day, Lily lays a hand on his arm comfortingly. Remus focuses his eyes firmly on his food.

"Regardless of whether or not Miranda has figured it out or been told, surely you know that you were always privy to more information than most people outside of the four of us?" Sirius asks.

She does know, but she doesn't think that it's a good thing that she still takes so much pride in it.

* * *

A few days later, Lily heads over to Potter Manor for tea. But this time, it's not James or the boys she's seeing. It's Fleamont.

"Come in, my girl, come in." He greets her as he opens the door. "Lovely to see you. I heard about that scrape after the Puddlemere match. I heard you held your own quite well." Fleamont sounds equal parts proud and concerned by the news.

Lily is a little uncomfortable at the praise and tucks her hair behind her ear. "I've gotten quite good with a wand over the years."

"So you have. Though I wish you hadn't had to." Frustration and anger seep through his words. He takes one of Lily's hands and looks her in the eyes. "You _shouldn't_ have had to. Promise me you'll be careful, Lily."

"I'll do my best." She says softly, squeezing his hand. "I promise."

"Good." He says, squeezing back before releasing her hand. "One day, someone is going to figure out how to put an end to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and all of his nonsense. And the purebloods fools that support him too." He shakes his head and walks down the hallway before beckoning her to follow him. 

Lily is touched. Though she never doubted his stance on Voldemort's war on muggle borns and those that support them, hearing him voice it and his concern for her meant the world to Lily. She's so lost in her thoughts that she doesn't realize that he's led her to his office, where two cauldrons are simmering. 

"I just need to check on these before we sit down." Fleamont says. He stirs the first two and a quarter times and does a quick back and forth swish in the other. Lily steps over to the cauldrons curiously and looks around Fleamont's workstation, taking into account the remnants of ingredients, the potions' colors, and the smoke patterns drifting from each. When it hits her, she glances at him out of the corner of her eye.

"May I guess?" she asks, not wanting to intrude in case she's right.

"I'm sure you already have. You always were sharp." He says as calmly as if they were discussing the weather.

"Dreamless Sleep Potion." Lily says, pointing to the first cauldron. She hesitates before dragging her finger to the second. "Draught of Peace."

"Right you are, my girl. I really am glad you're back. It's nice to have someone to talk shop with." Fleamont says proudly. "I used to want James to be as excited about potions as I was, but transfiguration was always his thing. And mischief." He chuckles.

"And does James know that you are brewing these?" She asks. "I don't know what it's like to lose a spouse, Monty, but when I lost my parents . . . I'm sure it's hard." Lily finishes softly.

"I'm actually splitting half of the Dreamless Sleep Potion with James." Fleamont replies as he bottles up both cauldrons. Lily is surprised at that. James hasn't mentioned having trouble sleeping.

"And the other?" she asks.

"As much as Miranda downplays He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters, she is still quite shaken up by what happened down at the pub that day." He replies. Lily doesn't know what to say to this that will sound genuine, so she moves on.

"Are you okay, though, Monty? Do you need to talk?" She takes out her wand and murmurs _scourgify_ , cleaning both cauldrons and vanishing the remnants of the ingredients he'd used.

"Euphemia and I had nearly 70 years together. Beautiful, difficult, fun, loving years. I will miss her until the day I join her." He says softly before whispering, "But that's how you know we did it right!" he winks and then walks over to his desk. "Speaking of Euphemia, I was going through some things and found this."

She walks to the desk and raises a hand to her lips. It was a photograph James had taken of Lily and Euphemia, crushing Christmas crackers on each other's heads and roaring with laughter as ridiculous hats appeared. Lily's hands lingered over the photograph, a wistful smile playing on her lips and a painful tug pulling at her heartstrings.

"I remember this." Lily says finally. "I was desperate to get away from Petunia and her horrid Boyfriend, and James and Sirius told me to come spend the rest of the Christmas holidays here."

"And you refused at first, if I remember."

"Until your owl came with notes from you and Euphemia. Hers a full letter, yours a "see you at tea."

"You're always welcome at tea here, my girl. Taking that photograph with you should remind you of that, I take it?"

Lily hesitates before duplicating the photo with her wand. "I'll take the copy to remind me. I'll leave the original, though, I think."

"Well, let's go find a place to display it, shall we?" They link arms and walk through the house to find a slot for it, eventually deciding on the wall with the Potter family photographs. She begins to say that it can't go there because she isn't family. But the look on Fleamont's face tells her it's no use. "My house, my rules, my girl."

Minutes later, they're sharing a laugh, arms still linked, as they walk into the sitting room. James and Peter are at the table playing chess.

"Lily! I didn't know you were here." James says, looking up kindly.

"I invited her for tea, and she obliged." Fleamont replies. "I'll go pull some things together, shall I?"

As Fleamont heads to the kitchen, James motions for Lily to join them. "Well, come sit for a second, I've almost got Peter beat, so—"

"Checkmate." Peter smirks as a rook does the honors of thrashing James' king. 

"How—I didn't even see that coming. Well played, Wormtail!"

"You ought to be tired of losing to me, but here we are. Good game, mate." He says as he gets to his feet. I'm going to see if there are any more sandwiches left. Anyone need anything?" Lily and James say no, and Peter goes off to help Fleamont.

Lily is looking at the photograph of her and Euphemia fondly as James sits next to her on the couch. "What's that?" He asks. She looks at him with a sad smile before showing him the photo.

"Your dad found this, and let me make a copy of it." She says simply, letting James trace his fingers over his mum's face.

"She always loved when you came over. She asked about you all the time when you left."

"I exchanged letters with them at first, but then . . . well, you know. We've talked about it." She says. James nods. 

Lily debates asking the question, but she feels like she should. "How are you doing?"

"Me? I'm fine."

"James."

"Lily."

" _James._ "

" _Lily_."

Lily exhales heavily. She remembers his go-to diversion tactic very well. _Frustrate-until-they-give-up_ she had once called it. "James, I know what it's like to lose a parent. I've been there, remember? You don't have to bottle things up or pretend with me." She turns on the couch to face him directly. James opens his mouth to protest, and Lily is prepared to parry it, but he gives in, running a frustrated hand through his hair but doesn't speak. 

"I almost took a bludger to the head in practice yesterday." He whispers eventually. 

He looks as if he's staring off into space, but Lily sees that his gaze lies in the direction of the chair where Euphemia Potter used to sit, like it has so many times since the funeral. "I find myself not concentrating at the worst possible times. And I'm not sleeping well at all." Now that she looks at him closely, she can see the signs in and around the dark circles underneath his eyes. How had she not noticed before?

"Now we're getting somewhere." Lily says with a soft smile that James attempts to return but can't quite accomplish.

They talk for who knows how long as James verbalizes some of the things he's been trying to deal with alone. They alternate between reminiscing and divulging new thoughts, sharing laughter, joy, and pain together. It almost feels like they're back at Hogwarts doing rounds again. Fleamont and Peter eventually return with the tea before Peter says his goodbyes and leaves to visit his mother. Fleamont observes a little of the conversation before heading back to his study to finish his crossword.

They're still talking when Miranda steps out of the fireplace, a flash of green behind her. James stands to greet her with a hug and kiss on the cheek, and Lily gives a forced hello. The group makes small talk, and Lily stays as long as politeness requires before making her excuses and thanking Fleamont for tea and for the photograph.

She'd had a wonderful day, capped off with a heart-to-heart with her best friend. She wasn't putting it at risk. Especially not with her new employment responsibilities looming in the back of her head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I worked on this one, I realized that I'll need a few more chapters to round this out, so i've adjusted the chapter count. We're about to head into the meat of the story soon, and I'm so excited to put these pieces together. As always, I love reading comments and having interactions here, but feel free to connect with me on tumblr at corinnesamuels as well.


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